Oceans have an abundance of renewable energy which, due to the lack of proper technologies, sadly goes to waste. Netherlands-based innovator Koen Olthuis, and his firm Waterstudio.NL, have come up with an innovative way of harvesting untapped wave power, in the form of a giant floating breakwater with towering columns similar to that of the Parthenon.
Aptly called the Parthenon, this colossal sea wall reduces the intensity of the waves crashing into the harbor, while also gathering the energy produced during the process. It basically serves as a permeable, floating breakwater that in turn harvests and converts wave power into electrical energy. The renderings showcase the Hudson River, in the United States. Speaking about the plan, the firm’s spokesperson said:
The floating breakwater lives with the force of the river instead of fighting it… In a harbour on the Hudson river in New York the wave conditions are so strong that a sea wall must protect its boats. The strong current in the river is constantly attacking it and water is pushing itself against and through the fixed wall, which results in more corrosion of the sea wall every year.
The sea wall is made up of several massive columns, containing 3-foot cylinders that are capable of rotating both clockwise and anticlockwise, at low speeds. The incoming waves rotate the cylinders, as a result of which energy is created. This energy is then captured and stored inside a concrete box, situated in the floating platform. The cylinders are actually filled with water, for greater structural stability and flexibility.
The sea wall needs to be anchored to the river or seabed. According to the developers, the structure can also act as a green space, for planting trees and shrubs. It can even double as a boulevard. The firm added:
The Parthenon blue energy sea wall resembles the column structure of the famous ancient temple in Greece, but divers see it as a part of the sunken city of Atlantis.
